From Wolfpack’s den to Spiders’ web: Richmond linemen gear up to play dads’ alma mater

Friday

Sep 6, 2013 at 12:01 AMSep 6, 2013 at 1:37 AM

Conor O'Neill / Times-News

Running out of a tunnel and onto the field at Carter-Finley Stadium has always been a dream for Alex Gee.

So the lifelong North Carolina State fan and Williams High School graduate will accomplish the feat Saturday night.

He’ll just be storming out of a different tunnel than he envisioned.

Gee comes in as an offensive lineman for visiting Richmond on Saturday night. He’ll play against the alma mater of his father and a team he has been cheering for since he was 3 years old.

“Coming out of that tunnel is going to be sweet, it’s just different than I imagined it because I’m not coming out of the home locker room,” Gee said.

Gee was born into Wolfpack fandom, given that Mike Gee was an offensive lineman at N.C. State from 1988-92. Alex Gee attended as many N.C. State football and basketball home games as possible before his graduation from Williams in 2012.

“I’ve been going to games at Carter-Finley since I can remember,” Alex Gee said. “I’m really excited about (this weekend’s game). I grew up wanting to play for N.C. State, then when that didn’t work out, I think the next-best thing is to go in there and compete against them and come out with a win.”

Mike Gee accompanied his oldest son to many of those games and did plenty of cheering for the Wolfpack.

For this game, he’ll shift his rooting interests.

“There’s no question about allegiance for this game,” Gee said, noting his support for Richmond.

Alex Gee’s role with the Spiders is something of a sixth man, he said. As a backup guard / center, Gee is second on the depth chart at center and both guard positions.

While Gee said he knew this game was on the schedule before he signed with Richmond, that didn’t play a factor in his college choice.

It’s just a sweet bonus for the 6-foot-3, 303-pounder.

“I’ve had it circled since I signed really,” Gee said. “It’s been a long time coming.”

Gee isn’t the only Spiders offensive lineman with parental ties to the Wolfpack.

Richmond’s starting left tackle is Nick Ritcher. He’s the son of former N.C. State guard Jim Ritcher, who’s a member of the College Football Hall of Fame and won the 1979 Outland Trophy, which is awarded to the best college football offensive lineman.

Given his father’s legacy and having cheered for two older brothers who played for N.C. State, Ritcher shared Gee’s desire to suit up for the Wolfpack.

So when the junior tackle takes the field — in the stadium that features a plaque with his father’s name and retired No. 51 — he’ll have a reminder.

“I wanted to play there pretty much my whole life, just didn’t get the opportunity,” Ritcher said. “It’s kind of been a chip on my shoulder for a long time now.”

So how will it feel when Ritcher, a graduate of Raleigh Ravenscroft, takes the field to a chorus of boos?

“I think I might kind of enjoy it,” Ritcher said. “It’s going to be one last reminder before the game starts of the chip on my shoulder and being real excited to play.”

Gee and Ritcher share the same view on the best-case scenario for this season’s Wolfpack.

An early season loss and an 11-1 record.

“It’s going to be weird. It’s going to be a lot of fun, me and Nick Ritcher, we’ll be pretty fired up together to go out there and try to make a statement,” Gee said. “Eight FCS teams beat FBS teams last week … we’re approaching it as ‘Why not us?’ ”

Both players said they keep track of N.C. State as much as possible, although that pales in comparison to how much they followed the Wolfpack before they went to Richmond.

When Ritcher sat down for a film study on his father’s alma mater earlier this week, there was a brief moment of nostalgia.

“It was weird for a second, but as it kept going, it became another team that we were going up against,” Ritcher said. “Obviously a little higher level of competition than we’re used to going up against.”

Gee said he’ll have a large cheering section among Richmond fans Saturday night — “Pretty much anybody in North Carolina that I know is going to be there,” he said.

When it comes down to who will be the loudest among that cheering section, Mike Gee has a good idea of the leading candidates.